AU No. 52 813/73 (Economics Laboratory) discloses a method of conditioning fabrics in the dryer in which a particulate fabric conditioning agent is placed within a salt-shaker type dispenser which is concurrently tumbled with the fabrics to be dried, thereby distributing the particulate fabric conditioning agent over the surface of the fabrics.
GB No. 2 122 657A (Unilever) disclose conditioning fabrics by this general method. The particulate fabric conditioner is contained within a first container--a flexible sachet--having pores or perforations large enough to be permeable to the conditioner, and the sachet is in turn contained within an outer, form-retaining container with larger holes. The outer container is shaped so as to move freely among the fabrics. This device has the major advantage that the pores or perforations of the inner sachet cannot become clogged with damp powder as a result of direct contact with the damp fabrics: such direct contact is prevented by the intervention of the outer container. The device has however been found to be somewhat complex in operation: the inner sachet must be protected by a covering of some sort to prevent premature escape of powder, and then, immediately before use, the covering must be stripped off and the sachet inserted into the outer container.